Nott Worth Your Tears
by IfIOnlyWereAWeasley
Summary: [Complete! Theodore Nott/Hermione Granger friendship] The son of a Deatheater and the muggleborn Gryffindor princess make for the most unlikely set of friends, yet few are better at comforting Hermione Granger than Theodore Nott.
1. Boys

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Boys**

* * *

The bushy head of hair dove behind a bookshelf, but it was too late. Theo growled, beyond frustrated with the Gryffindor.

" _Granger_ ," He hissed, snatching her arm. He ignored her protests, dragging her determinedly towards the back corner that they usually occupied.

"Let me go Nott," She mumbled. "If I wanted company, I obviously wouldn't have been hiding."

Theodore let out an angry snort. He pulled on her arm until she was looking at him, her amber eyes glaring half-heartedly at him. He shook his head, tossing her into her chair without bothering to respond.

"I'm serious!" Granger whispered.

Theo began pulling his notes from his bag, spreading them across the table as he usually did.

The witch seemed to grow upset as he continued to ignore her. "Fine. Don't answer me. I don't know why I thought you would care what I wanted."

Theodore leapt out of his chair as she pushed away from the table and turned to leave. He grabbed her wrist yet again.

"Granger. Come on. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have spent my Saturday combing the library looking for a _Gryffindor_."

She didn't turn around, but he could see how her shoulders were shaking. He sighed.

"Weasley is an idiot. And Brown's about as dull as her name," He told Granger honestly. He was relieved to hear her let out a watery chuckle, and quickly continued speaking. "I'm being honest. She's got the personality of a wet towel."

The brunette finally turned to look at him, wiping the tears from face as she spoke. "Lavender's a nice girl. And Ronald obviously likes her. I'm quite happy for them."

Theo rolled his eyes. "Yes, and I'm a Hufflepuff. Bugger off with that nonsense."

She frowned at him, her lips pouting slightly. "I'm telling the truth."

He didn't think that warranted a response. His unimpressed look must have said as much, for the girl soon resumed talking.

"Fine. I'm bitter and angry, and I want to light Lavender's bedposts on fire. Happy now?"

He smirked. "Very much so. The Gryffindor Princess has a dark side after all. Who would have thought?"

"Wha-no..." She stuttered.

He waited until she had turned properly red before he continued speaking. "Don't worry Granger, I won't tell anyone your secret. Now come on, I need your genius to bounce ideas off of. Problem three is impossible, and everyone else in our class are idiots."

She sat back down, but he could see something was still bothering her. He sighed, knowing she wouldn't be of any use while she was still upset.

"Granger," He whinged, drawing out the last 'r'. She looked down. "He'll come around, though I don't see why you're so upset. He's a complete dud."

Her lips twitched slightly, and he took that as the okay to continue.

"He eats with his mouth open."

A slight smile.

"He's about as intelligent as a troll."

He earned a muffled giggle.

"He's too lanky."

She laughed outright at that, and he knew that one was a bit hypocritical.

"Plus, he's a ginger!" He cried with mock outrage. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter. "Honestly Granger, he's not worth your time or tears."

When she looked up, her eyes were glittering with mischief. "Don't you mean...nott worth my time?"

"Granger no," He groaned, letting his head drop into his hands as she howled with laughter. "What a horrible, unoriginal pun. Honestly, I'm ashamed."

He peeked up at the girl. Her mouth was open, but no sound came out; she was laughing so hard.

Theo smiled slightly.

He had his Arithmancy partner back.

* * *

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	2. Men

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Men**

* * *

Hermione swiped desperately at her eyes, trying to muffle her sobs with her pillow. She had cast a silencing charm, but she was still paranoid that Harry could hear her crying. She didn't want to disturb his sleep.

One of them needed to be getting some.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but the flash of ginger hair and blue eyed glare that flitted through her mind had her opening them again.

She flinched as a tree branch swayed into the side of the tent, the crack reminding her of that of Disapparition.

Hermione closed her eyes again, letting the tears fall. She still couldn't believe he left.

* * *

Theo stared at the orb. The mist within it swirled, unthreatening.

" _Fuck_ ," He hissed, trying to muster the courage to pick it up.

The thin boy sucked in a breath, reaching his hand out and closing it around the globe.

"There, see?" He whispered to himself. "Nothing to be afraid o-oh bloody hell!"

Theodore let out a very undignified shriek as the orb began to glow. He shook his hand, trying to rid his fingers of the globe, but it was stuck fast.

"This is what I get. Albus Dumbledore left you, the son of a Deatheater, something in his will, and what do you do? You go and touch it. Nice going Theo," He muttered, staring wide-eyed at the little ball. It blinked back at him.

He had only just began to relax, thinking perhaps the globe was just a prank, when he felt the jerk on his naval.

 _Portkey._

* * *

Hermione always knew when she was dreaming. She wasn't sure how, but there was always a tiny voice in the back of her head that told her so.

She knew she was dreaming, but she also knew he was real.

It was a bit of a conundrum.

* * *

"Well you look well," Theo drawled sarcastically, trying desperately to hide his hand before she noticed the globe glued to his fingers.

"So do you," Granger narrowed her eyes, but Theodore could see that they held no malice.

He sighed, patting the rock he had found himself seated on. "Come here."

She crossed the small clearing quickly, sitting much closer to him than he had intended and leaning her head against his arm.

Theo ignored every ounce of sense he had and wrapped his arm around her, letting her rest her cheek against his chest. She exhaled softly, and he felt a dampness starting to bleed through his shirt.

"Are you okay?" He whispered. The girl he had come to care deeply for turned her brown, tear filled eyes towards him, and he frowned at the exhaustion that marred her features. "You haven't been captured, have you? I thought I'd have heard, if you had."

She shook her head. Her voice broke when she responded. "He left us."

Theodore sucked in a startled breath. "Why?"

"He...we're looking for something. Dark artifacts. The one we've found affects him more than Harry and I. He left."

Theo groaned. "You silly girl. You blame yourself."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyways.

"He loves you, Granger. I'm guessing he left in a fit of jealous rage, perhaps one caused by you and Potter leaving him out of something?"

She sniffled. "We weren't meaning to! We were just talking..."

"You and I know that, but when you've been in close proximity to a dark artifact it plays off of your insecurities. Trust me love, I grew up with these things. I'm sure Weasley, with his painfully obvious inferiority complex, feels like you'll never see him with Potter around. The artifact probably played into that, and it was enough to drive him crazy. Don't blame yourself or, though I can't believe I'm saying this, him for that. It's just dark magic."

He could see relief and understanding play out across her face. Theo was grateful the girl was as brilliant as she was, he didn't want to have to explain dark artifacts to her further.

"But Theo..." She said, voice trembling still, "I don't...I don't want to do this without Ron. Harry and I went to Godric's Hollow. He set up a trap, the snake was there and Harry's wand got broken. It was my fault. I can't do this."

He wrapped both arms around the weeping girl, trying to repress a shudder as the image of the snake striking at the Gryffindor princess played out in his mind.

"Stop blaming yourself for everything," He told her firmly. "You're doing the best you can."

He let her cry herself out, never once complaining about his soaked shirt. He realized, belatedly, that the globe had come unstuck from his hand and was now residing in his pocket.

"What if he doesn't come back?" She whispered.

"He will," Theo said with conviction, unsure of how he was so certain. "I promise you, he'll be back soon."

She stared at him; eyes soft and tired, and he found himself wishing, not for the first time, that things had been different. He could see her in a green tie, coming to his home for Christmas. He could see her making his father realize that blood truly didn't matter, for the petite girl reminded Theodore of his mother so strikingly that it occasionally brought tears to his eyes. Theo had always wanted a sister, and it was a cruel irony that he had found one in the one girl who was utterly off-limits to him.

"I'm tired," She whispered.

"Go to sleep Hermione," He breathed, finally giving in and calling her by her given name.

"But you won't be here when I wake up," Hermione protested.

"No," He agreed, "But he'll be there soon."

She pressed her cheek more firmly into Theodore's chest, her breathing evening out as she drifted into a peaceful sleep.

This time, it was Theo crying at the unfairness of their world.

* * *

Theo was gone when she woke up, but he hadn't been lying about Ron coming back.

Hermione didn't know what the little globe she had found lying on her nightstand was, but it somehow reminded her of Theodore.

The necklace she made it into hung just beside her heart.

* * *

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	3. Monsters

**Author's Note: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

 **Monsters**

* * *

Hermione didn't see him in the hall. She did, however, see a heartbreaking array of people she cared about.

The sigh of relief she let out at not seeing Theodore's body lying amongst them made her insides twist with guilt. She looked over at the Weasley family, sobbing over Fred's prone body, and crossed the room to comfort them with tears in her eyes.

* * *

Theo was hiding.

As soon as the battle had started, the light side was firing spells in his direction. A few light wizards noticed that he was only aiming towards the Death Eaters, and let him be. The majority, however, took one look at him and assumed that he was fighting for the Dark Lord.

The Death Eaters, on the other hand, noticed who his spells were aimed at immediately, and before Theo knew it, he was being attacked by both sides.

The moment the temporary ceasefire was called, Theodore found a pile of rubble and hid. He had seen Hermione disappearing into the Great Hall, so he wasn't worried about her.

At least, he wasn't worried until the Dark Lord had the body of Harry Potter carried into the open.

* * *

Hermione's heart stopped.

Across the Great Hall she could see the brown haired boy fighting desperately. He was being fired upon by both sides, and his back was completely unguarded.

Hermione threw herself into the thick of things, battling furiously to reach the Slytherin. His eyes met hers, and she realized that he had been moving towards her as well.

She was almost there, close enough to hear him cry out over the noise of the battle raging around them.

By the time she tore her gaze from his, she didn't have time to react to the spell flying at her face.

* * *

Time stopped.

Theodore would know the mask anywhere. After all, it had been hidden away in the back of his father's study since he was a boy. He wasn't at all surprised that his father was making his way towards him, for he knew the shame of having a traitor for a son would only, in the man's mind, be erased by ridding himself of the mistake.

Theo's mistake was Hermione.

He glanced at the Gryffindor princess one too many times, and suddenly she had his father's attention. He could see his father drawing a conclusion-the wrong one, certainly, but one that would regardless have the same devastating consequence-as he leveled his wand at the brunette.

Theodore knew the spell. Its sickly color was likely permanently etched into his mind. It was one of his father's own creation, one that resulted in a death so painful and gory that not even the most wicked of souls deserved the spell.

He saw red. The flash of green that left his wand did so with no remorse, for this cold man who hadn't felt since Theodore's mother had passed was but a shell of a human being.

And that shell of a human being had just sent murder at the one person who reminded Theo so dearly of his mother.

He didn't remember moving into the path of the spell. It was purely instinct.

* * *

"Theo."

Hermione was aware that her voice was but a whimper in the hall, but she couldn't force herself to be any louder. Someone was standing over her, she could feel them deflecting curses away from her, but she could only focus on the boy in front of her.

There was blood, so much that Hermione could hardly believe it all came from him. She was begging, clutching at his face and hands, but she knew the boy was fading.

"Theo I love you. You're my best friend. I've never had a brother, but if I did he would be you. I love you so much."

* * *

Theo was transfixed by her necklace. It hung free of her shirt as she leaned over him. Hanging from the end of it was the globe, his globe.

He could see his mother in it.

She was smiling at Hermione, the same sweet smile Theodore remembered her giving him as a child. She was looking at Theodore's favorite human being like she was a part of their family.

Theo stared as his mother turned her gaze to him. She had been protecting his Hermione, though how he knew that Theo couldn't explain.

Just as he couldn't explain how he knew that it was now his turn.

 _I love you so much._

* * *

In the end it was George and Lee Jordan who drug Hermione away from Theodore's body and out of the thick of things. Hermione didn't know why neither boy ever questioned her, for as far as they knew Theo was just another Slytherin, but they remained quiet. George held Hermione to his chest, her back pressed against his stomach, and he and Lee fought until Harry appeared before Voldemort.

Hermione almost felt dirty when a rush of joy went through her at seeing Voldemort fall. She knew she needed to be happy, to celebrate with Harry and Ron, but she wasn't sure she could do it.

"I lost a brother too. We're going to be okay. We can do this," George breathed into her ear.

She took a shuttery breath. She and George watched as Ron sprinted across the hall towards them, flinging his arms around the both of them and squeezing with all his might.

"We can do this," George whispered.

* * *

She found the stone after his funeral.

It had been a quiet affair. Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Pansy Parkinson had been in attendance. Not one of them questioned why she was present, but Zabini had handed her a handkerchief when her emotions had gotten the best of her. George went as well, standing just behind her with a handful of flowers that he had set on the grave once the ceremony was over.

Harry and Ron hadn't gone, though they were waiting at home for her the moment she returned. She had explained parts of her friendship with Theo to them, and they had been extremely understanding. They had all agreed that the entire Golden Trio showing up to the private funeral of the son of a Death Eater would most likely garner more attention than they wanted.

Professor McGonagall had allowed Theo to be buried in the little graveyard that had been created at Hogwarts. She had helped Hermione write up a piece for the newspaper that explained the decision. Hermione had requested that she waited until after the funeral to submit it. The Headmistress had agreed, acknowledging that the funeral would hardly stay private once it was published that Theodore had saved Hermione's life.

She decided to take a walk after the funeral. George had told her he would wait by Fred's grave, so she was alone.

She knew the stone immediately.

Hermione wasn't quite sure how it got from the ground to her hand, but there was no hesitation when she flipped it over three times.

"Hey 'Mione."

She could only just make out the ghostly form of Theodore through her tears. A woman was standing next to him, and she could see a man's form just off to the side.

"Don't cry love," Theo whispered. "Hey, it's alright."

Hermione watched as he stepped forward.

"I want you to meet my mother," Theodore said, gesturing to the woman beside him.

"Hello, it's very lovely to meet you ma'am," Hermione choked out, wiping the tears hurriedly from her face.

"Theo has told us so much about you," She whispered, smiling so sweetly that Hermione almost missed the fact that she had said 'us'.

"Who-"

The man stepped forward. "I owe you an apology. When my wife died, I lost my mind. I was the one who fired the curse upon you Hermione, though I cannot understand it now that my senses have been regained. I know it will take a lot of time before Theodore and I can fully work things out, and I understand if you can't ever forgive me for what I've done. I know I will never forgive myself."

The pieces came together in Hermione's mind, and for one brief moment all of the terrible things she could say came to mind.

Then she made eye contact with Theo's mother. She looked so sad that Hermione had to look away. She turned straight to Theodore, and she knew immediately what he wanted.

"I forgive you for aiming that spell at me. I'm not sure I can forgive you for taking Theo from me, but I understand that grief causes people to do crazy things."

Theodore's mother stepped forward, pressing her mouth to Hermione's brow in an imitation of a kiss.

"In another life," She sighed, before stepping backwards and clasping hands with her husband. Mr. Nott dipped his head to Hermione, mouthing his thanks as the two faded away.

"I'm not going to stay long," Theo spoke before she could.

"I wish you could stay forever," She whispered.

"I know, which is why I'm going to make things brief. The longer I stay, the harder it will be to go. You're my best friend and I love you very much. In another life I think my mother would have stolen you away and pronounced you her daughter. I know I would have been alright with it. What happened wasn't your fault. I made a mistake and I paid for it. But I love you, and I'll be waiting for you when-many, many years from now-your time comes."

"I love you too Theodore. I'm going to miss you so much," Hermione said, her voice trembling.

Theo stepped forward, his hand brushing her necklace. "I'll always be with you."

They both stood there for a moment, tears burning in their eyes, then Theo pressed a kiss to her cheek. She jumped slightly as he suddenly grabbed her face as best he could, his gaze burning into hers.

"Hermione."

"Yes Theodore?"

"Whatever you do, do not give your curly haired ginger brats my name."

Hermione choked on a laugh, and Theo's serious facade cracked.

"I'm serious Granger! Don't you dare give my name to a Weasley!"

Hermione was almost breathless with laughter. "I won't Theo."

"Good."

He grinned at her for a moment.

"I love you Hermione Granger."

"I love you too Theodore Nott."

Hermione took a deep breath and let the stone slip from her fingers.

Theodore faded away, and Hermione turned and walked back to the graveyard without looking back.

Her necklace was warm against her heart.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following.**


End file.
